Rig Veda 9.42.4: Mandala 9, Sukta 42, Mantra 4
Sukta 9.42
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
दुहानः प्रत्नमित्पयः पवित्रे परि षिच्यते । क्रन्दन्देवाँ अजीजनत् ॥
duhānó pratnám ít páyaḥ pavítre pári sicyate | krándan devā́n ajījanat ||
ప్రాచీన మధుర రసాన్ని దోహనముచేస్తూనే, అతడు పవిత్రం (పవిత్రే) చుట్టూ పోయబడతాడు; గర్జిస్తూ, అతడు దేవులను మేల్కొలిపి, అంతరంలో వారిని జనింపజేస్తాడు.
Word by Word
- दुहानः
- (Soma) milking/yieldingVerb-derived participleपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; वर्तमानकाले कर्तरि ‘milking/yielding’Role कर्तृRoot √दुह् (दुह्) / धुह्? → √दुह् ‘to milk, yield’
- प्रत्नम्
- the ancient (one/thing)Adjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot प्रत्न- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘ancient, former’
- इत्
- indeed, justIndeclinableनिपात; अव्ययRoot इत् (निपात) < इद्/इत् emphatic particle
- पयः
- milk/juiceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Vedic: acc. sg. = पयः)Role कर्मRoot पयस्- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘milk; sap; juice’
- पवित्रे
- in/into the filterNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot पवित्र- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘filter, strainer (for Soma)’
- परि
- around/throughIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्ग; अव्ययRoot परि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) ‘around, through’
- षिच्यते
- is poured/sprinkledVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive): ‘is poured’Root √सिच् (सिञ्चति) ‘to pour, sprinkle’
- क्रन्दन्
- roaringVerb-derived participleपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘roaring’Role कर्तृRoot √क्रन्द् (क्रन्दति) ‘to roar, cry out’
- देवान्
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot देव- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘god’
- अजीजनत्
- generated/producedVerb(Vedic) causative aorist/injunctive, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन: ‘caused to be born/produced’Root √जन् (जनति/जायते) with causative stem जनय-; Vedic injunctive/aorist causative
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolved as: दुहानः प्रत्नम् इत् पयः पवित्रे परि षिच्यते । क्रन्दन् देवान् अजीजनत् ॥ Notable points: (1) इत्पयः → इत् + पयः (enclitic particle ‘it’ joined to following word)
- (2) क्रन्दन्देवान् → क्रन्दन् + देवान् (final -न् before dental d-)
- (3) परि is a preverb with passive verb षिच्यते (< √सिच्), and षि- reflects Vedic orthography for सिच्यते in this context
The meaning
Outer meaning
Milking the ancient sweet milk, Soma is poured all around into the purifier; crying out, he generates/awakens the gods.
Inner meaning
The ‘milk’ (payaḥ) is the hidden sweetness of consciousness—delight and essence drawn from the depths by inner ‘milking’ (disciplined extraction). Poured into the pavitra (the inner filter: discrimination, sincerity, aspiration), it becomes clarified. The ‘cry’ (krandan) is the vibrant call of awakened life-force and mantra-impulse; through it, the gods—powers of light, truth, will—are born/manifest in the human system.
Universal truth
When the essence of experience is extracted and purified through discernment, it awakens higher faculties; a sincere call from within can bring latent divine capacities into active being.
Themes
Soma-pressing, purifier (pavitra), birth of the gods (inner powers), essence-extraction
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.42.1-6, RV 9.73 (Soma through the filter), RV 9.83 (Soma as awakener of gods)
Significance
The verse is a compact map of inner alchemy: extraction (duh), purification (pavitra), vibration (krand), manifestation (ajījanat).
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- pavamāna, payasvat (sweet-essenced, implied), janayitṛ (begetter, implied)
- Related deities
- Sarasvatī (purifying flow, mantra), Agni (tapas/extraction), Bṛhaspati (birth of illumination)
Cosmic role
Clarifies the essence and births the gods—sustains divine manifestation through delight.
Inner power
Transformative ananda that, when filtered, becomes creative force for awakening higher consciousness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma filtering (pavitra) and libation accompaniment
दु॒हा॒नः प्र॒त्नमित्पय॑: प॒वित्रे॒ परि॑ षिच्यते । क्रन्द॑न्दे॒वाँ अ॑जीजनत् ॥
दु॒हा॒नः । प्र॒त्नम् । इत् । पयः॑ । प॒वित्रे॑ । परि॑ । सि॒च्य॒ते॒ । क्रन्द॑न् । दे॒वान् । अ॒जी॒ज॒न॒त् ॥
duhānaḥ | pratnam | it | payaḥ | pavitre | pari | sicyate | krandan | devān | ajījanat
Likely Triṣṭubh (vigorous narrative/transformational tone common in RV)
44
11+11+11+11 (approx.)
Strong, work-like cadence—fits ‘milking’ and ‘pouring’, then a resonant lift on ‘krandan’.
Gives a sense of effort culminating in release and awakening; supports transformative concentration.
- दुहानः (duhānaḥ)
- Literal: milking. Symbolic: drawing out essence through tapas and steady practice
- प्रत्नम् (pratnam)
- Literal: ancient, primeval. Symbolic: the original sweetness of the soul-nature, perennial ananda
- पयः (payaḥ)
- Literal: milk, sap, sweetness. Symbolic: nourishing delight/essence of consciousness
- पवित्रे (pavitre)
- Literal: into the purifier/strainer. Symbolic: inner filter: discrimination (viveka), sincerity, truth-sense that clarifies
- परि षिच्यते (pari ṣicyate)
- Literal: is poured around. Symbolic: pervasive infusion into the whole being
- क्रन्दन् (krandan)
- Literal: crying, resounding. Symbolic: mantric vibration; awakened prāṇa calling the higher powers
- देवान् अजीजनत् (devān ajījanat)
- Literal: he generated the gods. Symbolic: he brings forth the illumined faculties into manifestation
Describes Soma being poured through the pavitra during pressing; used in Pavamāna sequences of Soma sacrifice
At the moment Soma is poured through the strainer into the collecting vessel; also when calling devas to manifest in the rite.
Pouring/straining while reciting; emphasizing purification and invocation.
A mantra for inner purification: use when refining emotions/thoughts—‘extract the sweetness, filter it, let higher powers be born’.
duhānó: present middle participle from √duh ‘milk’; indicates active extraction of essence. pratnám: ‘ancient’ from pratna-, archaic/primeval. páyaḥ: neut. ‘milk, sap’, linked to nourishing essence. pavítre: locative of pavitra- ‘purifier/strainer’ from √pū ‘purify’. sicyate: passive of √sic ‘to pour’. krándan: pres. participle of √krand ‘cry/roar’, often marking energetic release. ajījanat: augment + causative/intensive formation to √jan ‘be born’; ‘made to be born / generated’.
awakening of inner deva-powers through purification, primeval essence (pratna) as archetypal truth, transformation via discrimination (pavitra)
Pavitra symbolizes ṛta as a principle of selection and right arrangement in consciousness.
What is ‘ancient’ is the satya of the soul; purification restores it.
Birth of gods from clarified essence—microcosmic creation within the seeker.
Yoga of transformation: inner sacrifice producing new divine formations (Aurobindo’s ‘birth of the gods’).
Nourishing sap drawn from depth, filtered by truth-sense, spreading through the system; a vibratory call that awakens latent lights.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma ‘milks out’ the ancient sweetness and, when poured into the purifier, ‘gives birth to the gods’. The mythic action is the generation/manifestation of divine powers from the clarified Soma; psychologically, refined delight releases and organizes inner faculties (devas) that were latent.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √duh ‘milk’ continues PIE *dʰewgʰ- ‘produce/milk’ (cf. Germanic cognate ideas around ‘to milk’ are debated; Indo-Iranian preserves the pastoral sacrificial idiom strongly). √jan ‘generate’ reflects PIE *ǵenh₁- ‘beget’ (cf. Latin gignere, English ‘kin’). The verse uses archaic productive participles (duhānaḥ, krandan) typical of early Indo-European poetic style.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi witnesses Soma as an active yogic force: by consenting to the pouring into the pavitra (inner discrimination), the seeker enables Soma to awaken the ‘devas’ (capacities of illumination and right action). The offering is thus simultaneously ritual and interior.
Extract the ‘sweet essence’ from experience; filter it through truth and offer it to awaken higher faculties.
Viśuddha (purification and vibration) with Anāhata (sweetness/essence).
Ujjāyī (gentle) to create a ‘resonant cry’ quality; exhale imagining the flow through a luminous filter at the throat/heart axis.
Purified delight with awakened mantra-impulse (vāc).
1) Recall the deepest sweetness behind events (payaḥ). 2) Pass it through inner sincerity (pavitra). 3) Let a simple seed-mantra arise naturally (krandan). 4) Notice new capacities (devas) coming forward—clarity, courage, wideness.
Maintain clear Vedic accent flow; give a slight resonant emphasis to ‘krandan’ as the turning point.
Keep ‘duhānaḥ’ smooth; avoid breaking ‘pari ṣicyate’; let the cadence open on ‘devān ajījanat’.
duhānaḥ: ‘dh’ voiced aspirate; long ā, payaḥ: ‘yaḥ’ with visarga; not ‘payah’ swallowed, pavitre: ‘tri’ crisp, short e, ajījanat: long ī; ‘jan’ dental n; final t clear
Warm and resonant, slightly more sonorous at ‘krandan’.
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